Like a challenge in a high profile 'face-of-IT' role? Welcome to the Home Office
- Reference: 1614864036
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2021/03/04/home_office_it_job/
- Source link:
For a salary of between £71,000 and £85,000, the lucky candidate will be furnished with the opportunity of deciding which fire to try to put out first.
[2]
Excuse the pun, because high on the list might be the Emergency Services Network, that much-troubled upgrade to the fire, police and ambulance service’s mobile data and communications network, which dates back to 2011 and is yet to carry a message or call.
In September, as chief digital, data and technology officer at the Home Office, Joanna Davinson [3]told Parliamentary spending watchdog the Public Accounts Committee that delays to the troubled Emergency Services Network would create additional annual costs "in the ballpark" of £550m "across the whole of the legacy estate".
[4]
Boss behind 'reset' of delayed, overbudget Emergency Services Network shifts to new 'digital' Cabinet Office role [5]READ MORE
All that was before she was rewarded for the three years’ work on the project with [6]a role as executive director of the UK government's new Central Digital and Data Office .
According to [7]the job blurb , the Home Office Deputy Director of IT Operations will play a “critical role in providing digital, data and technology services at the Home Office, supporting vital national infrastructure and Home Office services.”
The person in the role, the ad said, is supposed to support a user-base of more than 35,000 Home Office staff, as well as more than 400 public-facing services used by millions, and diverse critical business areas including UK Visa & Immigration, Border Force, HMPO and policing.
So what other fires might need dampening? (*Sticks a pin in a long list*) How about border management IT systems, which [8]have seen £336m added to their costs due to delays and uncertainty that continue to dog the programme , according to the National Audit Office?
Getting that unruly legacy borders IT estate – [9]which includes the Customs Declaration System (CDS) that goes back to 1994 and still has no turn-off date – under control should be no problem as the Home Office is seeking a candidate who is “strategic and forward-thinking in terms of how we engage the business and use new and existing technologies to build capability.”
“Through embedding a culture of continuous improvement,” the successful candidate would “strive to deliver better outcomes and value for money", the gushing job ad continued. In doing so, they will "ensure that the Home Office delivers to cost and quality standards, managing risks and dependencies across multiple teams.”
Phew, we’re glad because there is another issue banging on the emergency button: the Police National Computer and the small matter of 413,000 deleted records of evidence, which Kit Malthouse, Minister of State for Crime and Policing, [10]promised back in February to restore in 12 weeks.
About eight weeks to go then: time to get the feet under the desk.
It is a good job the Home Office bigwigs are looking to hire someone “highly focused on delivering” because the individual will also be expected to be the “face and voice” of IT Operations within the organisation, championing the function across the Digital Data and Technology group, the Home Office and wider government. Either that or sneak themselves into the asylum seekers deportation list.
[11]
The deadline for applications is 24 March. ®
Get our [12]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.croydonist.co.uk/architecture/
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YEESLu@xsB6UuMb8RecjrAAAAFY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2021/01/13/esn_boss_promotion/
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YEESLu@xsB6UuMb8RecjrAAAAFY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2021/01/13/esn_boss_promotion/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2021/01/13/esn_boss_promotion/
[7] https://www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/jobs.cgi?jcode=1710271&csource=csalerts
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2020/12/09/delays_to_home_office_border/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2020/11/24/no_end_in_sight_for_chief_customs_system/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2021/02/09/deleted_police_records_12_weeks/
[11] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YEESLu@xsB6UuMb8RecjrAAAAFY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[12] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Between £71,000 and £85,000 for that poisoned chalice? Hell, no
One good reason not to
Priti Patel.
Re: One good reason not to
Arrogant and offensive
Can you imagine having to work with these truth twisters?
Part of me would like this job
But, it would involve desperately tring to bring outsourced providers to do what they were contracted to do and having them say - sure for another £xM. Then you would have Priti Vile shouting at you for being a useless whatever for not being like a go getting private sector worker. A suggestion that, just perhaps, the service could be delivered more efficiently (or at all) in house would probably earn you the sack.
Beer because the person that does get it is going to need lots of them.
Re: Part of me would like this job
So negotiate a golden good by on the grounds that to and Priti Vacant have an opperational disagreement
It's local to me so I'd be tempted but it would need to pay about 3 or 4 times what they're offering.
Not a chance.
Too little pay for the responsibility attached, not to mention the extremely high level of grief that comes with it (well described in the article).
And that's before you even begin to consider the minister you'd be working for. Even if Priti left, my understanding from various people in the know is that Home Office are horrible employers in a multitude of ways.
TL:DR Other places pay better, for less grief and you're less likely to get persecuted by a midget on a power trip
You need not to be too clever and not care.
Most engineers care more about the solution than money, so not good for them. There are plenty of people who like the title of a role and will do anything to keep it, especially if 80k is around. They'll get the job. Visio up a strategy paper and expect an underling to know how stuff works.
I've done these sort of roles where every day you come home with a headache, everyone is unhappy, even if you have a good day you frown on the way home in the car. Some things you cant ever get on top of.
Yeah, not one for me!
It would need 3-4x the pay, and I'd budget to be in the position for (at most) 6 months. That way I wouldn't get too attached to any of the projects which will undoubtedly fail.
I was thinking much the same, that’s a lot of responsibility for not much money.
Hahahahahahahaha.....
No.
Arse about face!
Things are the wrong way round! May I suggest that in future (starting from now), the NAO and Public Accounts Committee et al, are allowed a period sufficient for them to very closely examine all such projects as they are initially presented on paper! Through comparison and learning from past mistakes they can then determine which ones are going to fail / drag on a bit too long, Then, with the help of those 'at the coal face' who will actually live-with and/or work with the outcomes of said project, they can demand further details and costs be fleshed out, until all parties arrive at a final project description which, for once, has a close relationship with reality and, furthermore, wherein the contractors can actually be held to account before the whole shebang just gets all out of shape and drains the public purse to excess, again, and agian and again. Just a thought.
Re: Just a thought.
When can you start?
Re: Arse about face!
Never make the mistake of believing that value for money or accountability are remotely important objectives for government contracts, when the real purpose is generally 'how many jobs will this make in reasonably marginal constituencies'.
The job in question is 'person who gets the blame for the terrible contract Priti selected to create 3k IT jobs for unemployed coal miners in Sunderland'.
Re: Arse about face!
May I suggest that in future (starting from now), the NAO and Public Accounts Committee et al, are allowed a period sufficient for them to very closely examine all such projects as they are initially presented on paper! Through comparison and learning from past mistakes they can then determine which ones are going to fail / drag on a bit too long,
Nice idea, but I greatly doubt if it would work because neither "oversight" body would be able to tell if what was being asked for / promised was technically possible at the time. Bidders always promise that everything is "easy" (or perhaps "oven - ready" is the prefered phrase now) even when it isn't.
If this new job has the ESN as part of its brief then anyone reading this should keep well away from it. It might be a cliché but the only viable description is "poisoned chalice". A friend of mine sent me a section from Police Oracle on the latest position, and it does not make for happy reading. I would provide a link but it's behind a pay wall.
I will just quote one sentence as an example:
That means that the project will have to procure some non ruggedised devices or possibly adapt some existing Airwave handsets for use at the start of the proper roll out once the Airwave system is finally switched off.
Anyone who believes that an existing TETRA handset can be adapted to work on the ESN "just like that" clearly has no idea about operating on wildly different frequencies, never mind other technical differences.
Who will have the courage to tell Priti Patel that it is not going to work on any sensible timescale? If it was as "oven ready" as all that why isn't it working now ?
Non-Aryans need not apply
I don't look Aryan enough to be allowed to work for the Home Office. Otherwise still a no from me.
Serious question, would anyone here reading 'El Reg have a go at applying for this job? At least there would be a reasonably good chance that someone who reads The Register would do a pretty good job compared to anyone they found in the wild. Would anyone here consider going for it, if not, why not?